


Family

by bofurrific



Series: Hobbit Drabbles [58]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bofur is a good cousin, Dysfunctional Family, Family, Gen, even though he hurts them sometimes, he just wants what's best for them ok, so is Bifur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 12:16:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/686851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bofurrific/pseuds/bofurrific
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kink Meme Fill: </p><p>Bifur sometimes forgets who his cousins are and attacks them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

The attacks are few and far between, but sometimes Bifur comes back to himself, assumes he's spaced out like he does sometimes, to find Bombur hiding behind Bofur and both his cousins' eyes are wild with terror. Sometimes there are scratches and bruises on their faces and his hands hurt like he's been in a fight and the axe in his head doesn't protect him from knowing what he's done.

Bifur tells himself, tells his cousins, it won't happen again. That he'll be better. And after a few days of flinching when he moves too quickly, Bofur and Bombur go back to normal, grinning and clapping him over the shoulder and joking around.

But a few months later Bifur wakes up and he is outside and Bofur is doubled over, clutching an arm that shouldn't twist that way. He hears Bombur's children screaming inside and knows it happened again. Bofur is hissing in pain, but he forces a hard smile through gritted teeth and tells him the kids are fine, that they got him outside before he could hurt them. But the only thing Bifur knows is that not only did he fail again, did he hurt his family again, but he broke Bofur's arm and a miner with one arm isn't any use.

The next time it happens, Bofur almost dies. It takes too long for Bifur to snap back to reality, and when he does, Dwalin and Gloin are holding him back, and even with all their strength, it's clear they have been struggling. Bofur is bleeding against the rocks and there is a wound in his side that could only have come from Bifur's boar spear. 

They carry Bofur to Oin's cabin to be healed and Bifur stands in the rain outside the window and thinks about what he's done. He doesn't try to come in, knows that after all this he can't possibly be welcome, fingers clutching the stone of the house until they are bloodied and hates himself more than he ever has.

Bofur lives, and seems to forgive him right away and Bifur hates that, hates the kind looks Bofur shoots him, and he forces himself to keep his distance. He can't do this anymore, can't hurt them anymore.

He hears of the little dwarf king, not so little anymore, and a plan to reclaim the long lost mountain that wasn't ever theirs, and he thinks the distance from his cousins will be better for them all. He follows the king, thinks he will be safe enough in the company because they know of him and his problems, will stay far enough away that they won't be in danger.

But then his cousins follow him, meet up with him in Bree on the way to meet their lucky number and Bifur wants to pull out his beard and scream because this is why he was running in the first place. But Bofur sighs and winds an arm around one side and gets Bombur on the other, and the three of them lean together as Bofur tells him that family means sticking together. And the sincerity in his smile makes Bifur want to weep. As it is, he closes his eyes and prays to Aüle and the gods of all the other races too that he can keep himself from hurting them again.


End file.
